Jack Roush was once a world championship Pro Stock team owner. Joe Gibbs won two world titles in the same class.

Richard Petty, David Pearson and Cotton Owens all drag raced in 1965
while protesting NASCAR rules banning the Chrysler Hemi and other
limited edition engines.

Rick Hendrick just loved to watch fast cars cover the quarter-mile.

“I’ve loved doing this ever since I was a kid,” said Hendrick, as he
relaxed after an eight second quarter-mile pass in a Pro Street-style
Camaro. Granted this was not your average run-of-the-mill NASCAR team
owner’s car. Hendrick was making test laps in a friend’s car, with the
assistance of veteran drag racing school instructor Roy Hill. Hendrick
was in a big block muscle car capable of boiling the slicks and pulling
a wheelie off the starting line.

Bo Butner, a NHRA Competition Eliminator driver and 2006 champion, raced for years without injury.
 
His luck ran out in June 5.
 
Nearly three months -- and a couple of surgeries later -- the Floyds
Knobs, Ind., resident is recovering from a freak accident in the pits
at Route 66 Raceway at Joliet, Ill. And he's overcoming a devastating
blow to his family business. 
 
Butner was injured not in his race car but rather in a golf cart, as he
delivered tickets for the United Association Nationals to a friend.

Carl Kirk sat in the shade, outside of the direct sunlight encompassing National Trail Raceway. The former
Rod Shop Dodge team member sat with his former teammate Eddie Eckard
taking in the action. Both are well past their drag racing years, Kirk,
70, Eckard, 80, but on last Friday, at the ADRL Ohio Drags, they shared hot
dogs, soft drinks and a few memories.

Those memories nearly flowed freely as they recollected moments while racing at the NHRA Springnationals and other events.

“Those were the good old days,” said Kirk, who raced a B/Altered and
A/Gas Mopar back in those days. “We raced until about 1972 when we
realized that we had to raise families.”

A new engine program, a new class, and a new organization for Pete Berner Racing have caused the team to make quite a few adjustments
and take on a few learning curves. This is right up Berner’s alley,
however. He’s known for taking on new challenges and innovation and
although he hasn’t quite mastered the eighth mile battlefield just yet,
he’s confident that he’s well on his way.

At this past weekend’s ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags III,
Berner held his own. He qualified third with a 4.143 at 172.65. In
round one he took out Mark Martino with another 4.143 to Martino’s
4.173. Round two paired Berner with longtime friend and competitor Dean
Goforth. Both drivers posted .02 lights, but Goforth’s 4.129 took out
Berner’s consistent, but losing effort of 4.147. Goforth went on to win
the event, capturing his first Minuteman.

IHRA President Aaron Polburn, at the recommendation of his track prep
staff, has endorsed VP's Lane Choice 6 Traction Compound for use
at all IHRA member tracks. “Our crew tested LC6 on back to back
weekends,” said Polburn, “and came away with an ecstatic thumbs up for
the product."

The IHRA track prep staff reported a key benefit of LC6 is more
consistent performance from daytime to nighttime temperatures. “This
stuff is really good—the track got to 148 degrees and it never gave a
hint of getting greasy or gooey. We've had all sorts of cars on the LC6
in the last two weeks—from 3 second Pro Mods and 200mph drag radial
cars to 12 second bracket cars.  All the drivers gave the track rave
reviews."

Beech Bend Raceway Park will have a distinct yellow-and-black flavor
this weekend with a host of JEGS.com-sponsored racecars set to compete
at the final North Central Division race of the season.

Div. 3 champion racers John and Mike Coughlin lead the Team JEGS
charge, with John fighting for wins in both Top Dragster and Super
Stock and Mike looking for glory in Top Sportsman. Third-generation
upstart Troy Coughlin Jr. will be competing in Super Comp, while
Norwalk winner Samantha Kenny will pilot the Super Comp rail of her
fiancé, five-time world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr., who will
be on hand to support his teammates.

"It's a family affair and it's going to be an awful lot of fun," John
said. "Beech Bend is one of my favorite tracks of all time and it'll be
even more special with the whole gang coming over. I'm excited to mix
it up with everyone."

Rick Stivers was on a tear at the beginning of the Pro Mod season, scoring one runner-up finish out of two completed events and qualifying
hard for a key spot in his third race until a mechanical failure put a
crashing stop to his charge for the top. His dramatic crash in St.
Louis will long be remembered by those present as one of the miracles
of safety in racing. Stivers walked away from the incident, shaken up
and bruised but otherwise un-injured, and now, after fully recovering
from being shaken and stirred, the feisty horse farmer and HVAC
entrepreneur is ready to make a charge to be in the top eight in Get
Screened America Pro Mod Challenge points and earn the right to compete
in the $35,000 MATCO Tools Pro Mod Clash.
 
Stivers will get behind the wheel for the first time since his accident
on Monday as his team owner and tuner Brad Anderson calls the shots in
testing at the same track where Stivers hit the wall: Gateway
International Raceway in Madison, Ill.
 

Pro Mod drivers invited to the MAC Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals for the
Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx
are anxiously preparing for what promises to be one of the most
exciting marathons of Pro Mod racing. Each of the 24 available
invitations was quickly accepted, assuring a full field of champions
and record holders, along with a few surprises and an exciting
international flavor.
 
Headlining the field are the nitrous warriors from the Al Anabi camp,
including current points leader Burton Auxier, last year's U.S.
Nationals champion Mike Castellana, and 2003 Indy winner and 2001 World
Champion Rickie Smith. Smith and Castellana along with 2005 Indy
champ/2006 World Champion Jay Payne are hoping to do something no one
has yet been able to accomplish - win the Pro Mod Challenge at Indy
twice.

Tony Schumacher and Ashley Force Hood were the quickest in their
respective categories during testing Wednesday at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car teams utilized the test session in
preparation for the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by
Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race. The tradition-rich
race, which will be held Sept. 2-7 and will be showcased during more
than 10 hours of coverage on ESPN2 HD, is the final regular season race
in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series before the top 10 fields
in each pro category are set for NHRA’s six-race championship playoff,
the Countdown to 1.

Schumacher powered his U.S. Army dragster to the quickest time in Top
Fuel with a 3.833 second effort. Schumacher, who will be trying to tie
drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits as the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals all-time Top Fuel wins leader next weekend, feels confident
about his chances at the historic track. Schumacher has seven Mac Tools
U.S. Nationals victories, including the last three.

The widely popular cable TV show "Pinks All Out" goes nitro.  For the
first time in the shows history they will feature exhibition runs by
Top Fuel dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars. Auto Club Famoso Raceway
manager, Blake Bowser announced this special aspect to the show that
will tape on Saturday, September 12, 2009. The event itself will start
on Friday, the 11th.